Boeing admits employees falsified 787 Dreamliner inspection records

A few weeks ago, a former Boeing engineer denounced the company for having knowingly covered up safety flaws in the manufacturing of one of its largest passenger planes. Although, at the time, the company denied that the safety of its planes had been compromised, it has now admitted that its employees falsified records related to the inspection of the 787 Dreamliner.

As we reported here, in April, a former Boeing engineer revealed to The New York Times that the fuselage sections of the 787 Dreamliner were poorly fixed and could eventually break in mid-flight. He further alleged that the company resorted to “shortcuts” in the manufacturing process that ended up compromising safety.

With several different investigations open and after the news of yet another federal investigation falling on them, the Boeing admitted that its employees falsified records related to the inspection of your 787 Dreamliner airplane.

The American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that it is conducting a new investigation into Boeing, through which it will try to find out whether records related to the company's 787 Dreamliner were falsified, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Shortly after this news, The Seattle Times reported Boeing's confirmation that employees at its North Charleston factory falsified records.

Contacted by Gizmodo for comment, the FAA confirmed the details of its investigation in an email:

The FAA opened an investigation into Boeing after the company voluntarily reported in April that it may not have completed inspections necessary to confirm proper bonding and grounding where the wings join the fuselage on certain 787 Dreamliner planes.

The FAA is investigating whether Boeing completed inspections and whether company officials may have falsified plane records. As the investigation continues, the FAA will take all necessary steps – as always – to ensure the safety of the flying public.

In a note sent internally, and later shared with the press, the vice president and general manager of the 787 at one of Boeing's factories in South Carolina, Scott Stocker, explained that a Boeing teammate had seen and reported “irregularities” in the factory.

Stocker's statement says, according to the same media outlet, the following:

The teammate saw what appeared to be an irregularity in a compliance test required at the wing body junction. He raised the issue with his boss, who brought it to the attention of executive management. I would like to personally thank and commend this teammate for doing the right thing. It is critical that each of us speak up when we see something that may not seem right or needs attention.

After receiving the report, we quickly looked into the matter and learned that several people had violated company policies by not performing a required test, but recording the work as completed.

As you all know, we have zero tolerance for non-compliance with processes designed to guarantee quality and safety. We promptly informed our regulator of what we discovered and are taking swift and serious corrective action with several teammates.

Despite admitting irregularities conducted by “several people”, the executive added that “Boeing's engineering team assessed that this misconduct did not create an immediate flight safety problem”.